Hosea 8
New Living Translation
Israel Harvests the Whirlwind
8 “Sound the alarm!
The enemy descends like an eagle on the people of the Lord,
for they have broken my covenant
and revolted against my law.
2 Now Israel pleads with me,
‘Help us, for you are our God!’
3 But it is too late.
The people of Israel have rejected what is good,
and now their enemies will chase after them.
4 The people have appointed kings without my consent,
and princes without my approval.
By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold,
they have brought about their own destruction.
5 “O Samaria, I reject this calf—
this idol you have made.
My fury burns against you.
How long will you be incapable of innocence?
6 This calf you worship, O Israel,
was crafted by your own hands!
It is not God!
Therefore, it must be smashed to bits.
7 “They have planted the wind
and will harvest the whirlwind.
The stalks of grain wither
and produce nothing to eat.
And even if there is any grain,
foreigners will eat it.
8 The people of Israel have been swallowed up;
they lie among the nations like an old discarded pot.
9 Like a wild donkey looking for a mate,
they have gone up to Assyria.
The people of Israel[a] have sold themselves—
sold themselves to many lovers.
10 But though they have sold themselves to many allies,
I will now gather them together for judgment.
Then they will writhe
under the burden of the great king.
11 “Israel has built many altars to take away sin,
but these very altars became places for sinning!
12 Even though I gave them all my laws,
they act as if those laws don’t apply to them.
13 The people love to offer sacrifices to me,
feasting on the meat,
but I do not accept their sacrifices.
I will hold my people accountable for their sins,
and I will punish them.
They will return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten its Maker and built great palaces,
and Judah has fortified its cities.
Therefore, I will send down fire on their cities
and will burn up their fortresses.”
Hosea 8
Common English Bible
Divine proclamation about Israel’s idolatry
8 Put a trumpet to your lips!
It’s as if a bird of prey has flown over the Lord’s house,
because they have broken my covenant,
and have not kept my Instruction.
2 Israel cries to me,
“My God, we know you!”
3 Israel has turned away from the good;
the enemy will pursue him.
4 They set up kings, but not through me;
they chose princes, but without my knowledge.
With silver and gold they crafted idols
for their own destruction.
5 Your calf is rejected, Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
How long will they remain guilty?
6 The calf is from Israel,
a person made it;
it is not God.
The calf of Samaria will be smashed.
7 Because they sow the wind,
they will get the whirlwind.
Standing grain, but no fresh growth;
it will yield no meal;
if it were to yield,
strangers would devour it.
Bargains, apostasy, and coming punishment
8 Israel is swallowed up;
among the nations, they are now
like a useless jar.
9 They have gone up to Assyria,
a wild ass wandering alone;
Ephraim has hired lovers.
10 Though they have bargained with the nations,
I will now gather them up.
They will soon be diminished
due to the burden of kings and princes.
11 When Ephraim added more altars to take away sin,
they became altars to him for sinning.
12 Even though I write out for him a large number of my instructions,
they are regarded as strange.
13 Though they offer choice sacrifices,[a]
though they eat flesh,
the Lord doesn’t accept them.
Now he will remember their wickedness
and punish their sins;
they will return to Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten his maker,
and built palaces;
and Judah has multiplied walled cities;
but I will send a fire upon his cities,
and it will devour his fortresses.
Footnotes
- Hosea 8:13 Correction; Heb uncertain
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible